43 Chapter 43
◎Forced kiss.◎
Xu Qinghe couldn't see his expression, nor did she know what he was thinking. Before she could react, she felt a pair of hot hands holding her waist.
With a gentle lift, he lifted her up and sat her on the table.
The man in front of her had a pair of dark eyes open, his cheeks tightly clenched, and his hands on her waist slowly tightened. His whole body was tense, making her feel as if he was going to twist her neck at the next moment.
He actually had the decisive and murderous aura of a military general.
Xu Qinghe's heart was pounding and she quickly stepped back. He immediately followed her, leaving her with her hands on the table with nowhere to retreat.
He was almost in front of her, only an inch away from her.
"Xu Qinghe, you lied to me again."
Xu Qinghe naturally didn't know where the word "again" came from, but she naturally knew where this person's anger came from.
So she replied: "The imperial decree was issued without my knowledge, and I have never thought of marrying anyone else."
She was completely enveloped by his tall figure, with his scorching breath in front of her. It was difficult for her to breathe in the cramped space. Xu Qinghe couldn't help but turn her head to the side and stop looking at him.
However, just as she finished speaking, Wei Che suddenly caught up with her, grabbed the back of her neck, straightened her face, and then pressed his soft and hot lips against hers.
Xu Qinghe's heart skipped a beat, and after coming to her senses, she quickly raised her hand to press against his chest.
She wanted to distance herself from him, but the big hand on the back of her neck tightened even more.
Her legs were forced apart, and Wei Che stood directly in the gap between them. He held her lower back with his other hand and gently pulled her, almost embedding her whole body in his arms.
“Hmm…”
His lips were soft and hot, pressing tightly against hers with a masculine scent, and he sucked and bit them with great force.
Xu Qinghe's whole body was resisting, but she inevitably softened because of the unfamiliar touch. She had no strength left in her body, and her hands that were against his shoulders could not move at all. Instead, they rested on his shoulders as if clinging to her.
"Um……"
She suddenly felt a pain on her back. It was Wei Che who pinched her hard. Xu Qinghe screamed subconsciously, and the other party took advantage of the opportunity and inserted his tongue into her, hooking it around her and entangled with her.
He still carried the scent of spring in the snow, cold and refreshing, but his whole body exuded a melancholy aura, and the movements of his hands and mouth made Xu Qinghe feel suffocated.
But she was held in his arms and had no power to resist. He would only let her go after he had his fill.
After waiting for a long time, when she was almost suffocating, Wei Che finally mercifully released the hand that was holding her neck.
Xu Qinghe immediately took a deep breath, staring at him with a pair of watery but angry eyes.
He was also panting, his dark eyes looking over and meeting hers, his hands' movements not slowing down at all, still holding her in his arms, allowing their hot and delicate breaths to continue to entangle together.
She had no idea that her lips had been made red and swollen by him, and the corners of her eyes were stained with a thin layer of red, and the watery light in her eyes made her look even more pitiful.
She always looked dignified and cold when she was outside, never as fragile and charming as she is now.
Wei Che's Adam's apple rolled, and the hands behind her seemed to tighten.
Xu Qinghe sensed something and struggled to move away.
Only then did Wei Che let her go.
She put her hands on the table and continued to move backward until her knees were blocked by the edge of the table.
"I'm sorry..." Wei Che said in a hoarse voice, but Xu Qinghe turned her head to the side and couldn't see the expression on his face. She only heard him say, "I was in a hurry and offended the princess."
Hidden by his sleeves, Xu Qinghe clenched his hands tightly.
She had already torn her relationship with Queen Mother Wei, and marrying Wei Che was the only way for her to leave the palace as soon as possible. When he proposed to her, he kept saying that he would respect her wishes, but how could she believe a man's words?
Not to mention a kiss before marriage, even if they really get married in the future, when he wants to do something, can she, a weak woman who is powerless, stop him?
Xu Qinghe closed his eyes, exhaled a long breath, and said softly:
"Sir, why don't you talk about business?"
"Wei Ming bypassed me and directly asked the Empress Dowager for an imperial decree granting the marriage. We had planned to get married immediately. I went to find Concubine Zhao, and she used the spies of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to try to postpone the matter."
Wei Che seemed to sigh as well, and finally pulled away, returning all the air to her.
She turned her head and looked over, meeting his deep eyes.
He stared at her without saying a word, not wanting to miss any subtle changes in her facial expression, as if he wanted to find a flaw in her face that might indicate a lie.
Xu Qinghe was naturally not afraid to look him in the eye, so she looked straight over.
After a long time, Wei Che finally looked away, as if he finally believed her.
At this time, Xu Qinghe deliberately softened the expression on her face, no longer showing the humiliation and unwillingness she had just shown. She raised her fair face, looked at him with the eyes that had just become moist because of him, and said slowly:
"Wei Che, I've been waiting for you."
"Wait until you take me away."
As she wished, she saw Wei Che's expression change for a moment. He turned his head and looked at her with the same scrutinizing look as before, still trying to judge whether she was lying to him.
Xu Qinghe was also not afraid. She just lowered her head slightly, but then raised her eyes and looked at him with a bit of pleading and misery.
After a long time, Wei Che finally believed her and suddenly relaxed. He didn't even try to hide it and let out a long breath.
"I had originally planned to ask His Majesty for permission to marry me as soon as my father returned to the capital, but I never imagined that Wei Ming would be quicker."
He took a deep breath, exhaled, and said, "My father will return triumphantly within five days, before the results are announced. At the celebration banquet, he will ask His Majesty for permission to marry me."
If it weren't for the Empress Dowager Wei's imperial decree, this would certainly be feasible, but now that she has been officially betrothed to Wei Ming in the eyes of everyone, if she were to ask for an imperial decree to grant the marriage...
"This is ridiculous," she whispered.
The other person raised the corner of his lips. Although his face was tired, he tried his best to smile to comfort her:
"Haven't I done enough ridiculous things in the past six months? It's already good that I didn't kidnap your bride in the street on your wedding day."
"My father and Your Majesty are in the same camp, and he has military merits, so it won't be difficult for him to find a marriage."
He raised his hand towards her, as if he wanted to touch something. Xu Qinghe frowned subconsciously and leaned back uncontrollably.
Wei Che stopped moving, pursed his lips, and said, "I'm sorry to have wronged you. When the time comes, you must pretend to be completely unaware. Just think of it as that day on the Shangsi Festival when I really fell in love with you at first sight, but you have no memory of it."
Of course Xu Qinghe knew.
She had to portray herself as an innocent "victim", just because she was noticed by the romantic Prince Wei during an outing outside the capital, and he fell in love with her and insisted on marrying her even though the imperial decree had already been issued to grant them marriage.
And she knew nothing about it.
So she nodded and said "OK".
After saying this, Wei Che should have left. Xu Qinghe looked at him quietly, waiting for him to leave.
But his eyes flickered, and there was indeed a hint of guilt in them: "Princess, I was just... in a hurry and didn't mean to offend you. I'm really sorry."
"Prince Wei, please take me out of the palace as soon as possible." Xu Qinghe shook her head and just said this, not wanting to talk to him about the passive kiss just now.
Wei Che nodded in agreement, then turned and left.
In the darkness of the night, Xu Qinghe looked at his departing back and lowered her eyelashes.
Once something starts, there is no turning back, and she doesn't dream of keeping anything after getting married.
**
In late April, just one day before the announcement of the imperial examination results, Wei Yiqun finally led his elite troops back to the court, and Emperor Yongshun personally prepared to welcome him at the palace gate.
The soldiers, holding weapons and wearing armor, marched on Tianjie with their heads held high and chests puffed out. Each step they took was full of momentum, fully embodying the victorious spirit of the Southern Border Army.
Wei Yiqun rode a white horse and walked in the front, waving to the people on the street in a friendly but dignified manner. Behind him were many young soldiers who were also riding horses, each of them was energetic and radiant.
These were all heroic soldiers who had sacrificed their lives for the imperial court. When the people on the street saw them, their cheers became more and more overwhelming, almost waking up all the people in Kyoto.
Naturally, Emperor Yongshun could not meet with all the generals and soldiers one by one. He first rewarded everyone according to their merits in the conference hall, and then let them return home to wait for the rewards.
In addition, the soldiers and their families who had made outstanding contributions in the war, as well as some officials in the court, were invited to the Xuanhe Hall, where a celebration dinner was held for everyone.
Wei Che wanted Wei Yiqun to speak up at the celebration banquet and ask Xu Qinghe to marry him.
Such a dinner to entertain meritorious officials allowed the generals to bring their families, so naturally there would be people from the harem in attendance. However, Xu Qinghe was still ordered by the Queen Mother Wei to stay in the bedroom and not to go out at all.
At this time, the other party was naturally worried that she would do something extreme to reject the marriage and accidentally lose face for the Wei family.
The sounds of stringed instruments in the Xuanhe Hall could not reach Xu Qinghe's ears. She leaned on the couch with a book in her hand, but she did not turn a page for a long time, her eyes always looking at the lights in the corridor.
I don’t know how things are going on Wei Che’s side. Even if Emperor Yongshun agrees to this matter, Queen Mother Wei will certainly not give in easily.
Just as she was finally about to turn her gaze back to the book, someone hurried in from outside the door.
"The Empress has ordered that Princess Qinghe be invited to the banquet."
Xu Qinghe paused, and couldn't help but think of what Queen Wei said at the beginning of the year. She hinted that she had met Wei Che at the New Year's Eve banquet.
This time, the Queen Mother Wei locked herself in her bedroom. Queen Wei was also a member of the Wei family, so why did she let her attend the banquet?
But since it was the Queen's oral order, the palace servant guarding the door hesitated for a moment and finally let the person in.
Xu Qinghe took a look and found that she was indeed the first-class palace maid beside Queen Wei. She only said that the Queen asked her to attend the banquet and did not say anything else.
She quickly dressed up, carefully took Nanzhi and Lin Xiao with her, and followed the palace maid to Xuanhe Hall.
However, the other party took her to a bamboo garden some distance away from Xuanhe Palace and stopped her in a hidden bamboo forest in the garden.
"Please wait here for a moment, Princess."
Xu Qinghe nodded silently.
It seems that Queen Wei's visit was not to invite her to the banquet, but to let her see something.
She and Nanzhi Linxiao stayed here. After about a quarter of an hour, they saw two palace maids coming with a drunk concubine and bringing her into the room.
Xu Qinghe looked closely and found that it was Concubine Chen.
Because she didn't know the other party's purpose, she did not act rashly. She stood in the dark for less than a quarter of an hour, and saw two palace servants bring in a man with unsteady steps.
That person was none other than Wei Che.
【Author’s words】
Hope everything will be fine.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
